Fay Causes Federal Emergency in Florida

Font Size By Associated Press/NWS/National Hurricane Center
.

M60o93H7pQ09L8X1t49cHY01Z5j4TT91fGfr Fay Causes Federal Emergency in Florida
Published: Wed, August 20, 2008 - 4:02 pm
Last Updated: Thu, August 21, 2008 - 7:48 pm
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - President Bush has declared a federal
state of emergency in Florida to help with Tropical Storm Fay.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist asked the White House yesterday for
the declaration. It enables federal agencies like the Department of
Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency to come
in and help.
Fay has soaked Florida for four days, never gaining hurricane
intensity but dumping dozens of inches of rain in some areas.
Severe flooding on Florida's middle Atlantic Coast is being
reported, and some people had to be taken by boat away from their
homes.
Crist had asked for the declaration in 22 Florida counties.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - Tropical Storm Fay's possible threat to
south Alabama could bring several days of heavy rain starting
Saturday, improving farmland drought conditions, but causing
flooding.
National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Garmon in Mobile
says Fay could dump 8-15 inches of rain on the coastal area,
depending on how fast the storm moves, and cause significant
flooding.
The storm's 30-40 mph winds are expected to stir up bay and
offshore waters.
Mobile County Emergency Management Agency Director Walt
Dickerson says EMA officials will meet Friday morning to continue
preparations, with plans to open some storm shelters if needed.
Farmers are concerned that Fay's downpours could rot some cotton
- unless the sun breaks through soon after the storm passes - and
hamper corn harvests.
Cotton expert Dale Monks of the Alabama Cooperative Extension
System says this year's rainfall has improved drought conditions
over the last few years and produced an exceptional soybean crop.
Extension System peanut expert Kris Balkcom says Fay probably
won't damage the peanut crop in southeast Alabama because the
peanuts are not ready to harvest.
He says rain would help them. He said it was dry at planting
time for about eight weeks, but rainfall has been adequate.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Track Fay with the News 5 Storm Team



Latest National Hurricane Center Advisory



000
WTNT31 KNHC 212350
TCPAT1
BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM FAY INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 25A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL062008
800 PM EDT THU AUG 21 2008

...FAY DRIFTING WESTWARD NEAR THE NORTHEASTERN FLORIDA COAST...

AT 8 PM EDT...0000 UTC...THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING ALONG THE
FLORIDA EAST COAST SOUTH OF SEBASTIAN INLET HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SEBASTIAN INLET
FLORIDA NORTHWARD TO THE SAVANNAH RIVER AT THE BORDER BETWEEN
GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT ALONG THE FLORIDA GULF
COAST FROM THE SUWANNEE RIVER TO INDIAN PASS.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 800 PM EDT...0000Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM FAY WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 29.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 81.2 WEST...JUST WEST OF
FLAGLER BEACH FLORIDA.

FAY IS DRIFTING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 2 MPH...4 KM/HR. FAY IS
FORECAST TO MOVE WESTWARD OR WEST-NORTHWESTWARD WITH SOME INCREASE
IN FORWARD SPEED DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ON THIS
TRACK...THE CENTER OF FAY IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SLOWLY ACROSS THE
NORTHERN FLORIDA PENINSULA TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY...AND BE VERY
NEAR THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE COAST BY LATE FRIDAY OR EARLY SATURDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 60 MPH...95 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. SOME WEAKENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS...WITH
LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 150 MILES...240 KM
MAINLY TO THE EAST OF THE CENTER.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 993 MB...29.32 INCHES.

FAY IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES
ACROSS THE CENTRAL TO NORTHERN PORTION OF THE FLORIDA
PENINSULA...INCLUDING THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...SOUTHERN
GEORGIA...AND SOUTHEASTERN ALABAMA...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS
OF 15 INCHES POSSIBLE. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE
POSSIBLE ACROSS THE COASTAL AREAS OF SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA.
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE OVER
SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA. ISOLATED STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS
OF 20 TO 30 INCHES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED WITH THIS SYSTEM OVER THE EAST
CENTRAL COASTAL AREAS OF FLORIDA.

STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDES IS POSSIBLE
ALONG THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA AND GEORGIA TO THE NORTH OF THE
CENTER OF FAY.

ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT OVER PORTIONS OF
NORTHEASTERN FLORIDA AND SOUTHEASTERN GEORGIA.

REPEATING THE 800 PM EDT POSITION...29.3 N...81.2 W. MOVEMENT
TOWARD...WEST NEAR 2 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...60 MPH.
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...993 MB.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT
1100 PM EDT.

$$
FORECASTER BROWN/KNABB

The cone in the Gulf is widening somewhat isn’t it? I wanted to go to the beach this weekend, to show our new exchange student our sandy white beaches. Guess we’ll stay in instead. Oh well, I guess I can curl up with a good book.

Posted by rmseek1234 on 08/21/08 - 1:52 pm • Report Abuse   

Those walking catfish save a lot of time, you don’t have to fish for them, they just walk out of the water and wait in line to be cleaned.--- We’d have to be careful if another hurricane got into the gulf while fay was around. If the two of them got together we might come up with a hemmicane and those hemies were bad.

Posted by carl on 08/21/08 - 10:03 am • Report Abuse   

Never even heard of a walking catfish before.  I would like to see a couple of those walking around....... maybe at an all you can eat catfish place.  LOL
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Any chance of this storm crossing Florida, going into the gulf and then turning around and going back across Florida?  What would happen if another storm should start to come this way while Fay lingers around for so long?

Posted by BamaBob on 08/21/08 - 8:38 am • Report Abuse   

Carl - I do remember you sharing that story a while back when several of us were remembering those days.  The motel we were in was just across 90 and next door to a popular club at that time.  Nothing but a gray slab was left of that thing.  Not even any rubble.  Just an island of concrete amidst the sand.
.
I have a picture of me standing in front of the Bay Town Inn that was taken in March of 2005.  Had lunch at The Dock of the Bay across the street from the place and poured down a few cold beers at the Firedog Saloon later that afternoon.  Hard to believe that only a few months later the whole place would be turned upside down.  The shell of the Firedog survived, but it was gutted.  Need to take a drive over that way soon and see how much progress they have made.
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The Firedog’s website has some pretty dramatic pictures taken right after Katrina, including some brave firemen taking away bodies tangled up in the debris.
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http://www.firedogsaloon.com/

Posted by BamaBob on 08/20/08 - 1:23 pm • Report Abuse   

A very good site BamaBob ! those before pictures look very familar to some I remember. As I said before , Me the wife and kids were down there at the beach in a motel two days before it hit and decided we better head home and tie things down. The motel was just a block out line in the sand and the pool was even to the sides with sand after camille. Hope they never have another one that strong and as big as Katrina. Now that would be a perfect storm of destruction.

Posted by carl on 08/20/08 - 1:09 pm • Report Abuse   

Will never forget Camille!  Had a hard time ever getting out of Biloxi that day, but it sure wasn’t because of a desire to surf!  I can also remember all the stories about hurricane parties in the following days. People can do the craziest things.....
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I always loved Old Town Bay St Louis and spent a few weekends over that way at a nice turn of the century Bed & Breakfast situated on Beach Blvd overlooking the bay.  Recently I found an interesting blog describing the final moments of the B&B;’s 100 year history.  It is not about a hurricane party, but rather the complacency some had after surviving Camille (The Storm of the Century) unscathed.  Very interesting read especially in the chapter called Room Number Five.
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http://katrinapatina.blogspot.com/2006/01/story-of-bay-town-inn.html

Posted by BamaBob on 08/20/08 - 12:41 pm • Report Abuse   

Nothing like the mother of all hurricanes is it BamaBob ? Camille, the strongest I believe ever recorded. Do you think you might have kite surfed if you had stayed during Camille? probably would have ended up in Canada if you did. grin

Posted by carl on 08/20/08 - 12:30 pm • Report Abuse   

Don’t think any of us will be getting a day off from this one.  Probably just screw up another weekend......
.
Most of them do kind of hook a right once on land, but there have been a few that have done some crazy stuff.  I think it was Elena back in 85 that was projected to come to Mobile, so we packed up and left.  It then took a hard right and started toward Florida.  We load the car to come back and here on the radio that it had taken a hard left and might be on its way to Mobile again.  We decided to wait another day before coming back to Mobile.
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I think it finally came in somewhere around the MS/LA line.
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I think I remember another one cross Florida into the Atlantic and then coming back across Florida into the gulf, but don’t recall the name.

Posted by BamaBob on 08/20/08 - 12:07 pm • Report Abuse   

My question has anyone else thought it strange that they have this storm hooking a left once it hit the mainland???  I have always thought storms hooked a right once they were no longer over the water, something about the counter clockwise rotation and being over land???  I have just found this projected path to be weird.  Just wondering if I was the only one???

Posted by mustuknow on 08/20/08 - 5:08 am • Report Abuse   

Correction: “That’s” not “that”

Posted by barefootangel on 08/20/08 - 3:11 am • Report Abuse   


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